Well, once again I am "High on a Mountain Top!" I love school here, I love the spirit, I love the inspired teachers and faculty members who make this campus part of a "marvelous work and a wonder" (Isaiah 29:14)! Indeed the Lord has blessed me very much this semester. I have very kind, sweet room mates who love the Lord, a job lined up (where it is very hard to find one at all in a college town in this economy), a major nearly in order (I just need to listen to Heavenly Father a little more), and a functioning brain that I credit to more than just my genetic make up. I know I've had some help. Also, something exciting is that my roommate and I have agreed to start a business together! I will send out the blog link out to everyone so they can take a look and hopefully give some feedback :)
This semester is a little different. A lot of friends have left on missions (including my old FHE brothers and friends from back home), some are getting married, and some are just living further away. But I have been excited to meet new people, build relationships upon old acquaintances, and (if I can) perhaps bless their lives.
But in some ways this semester is the same. I have been attending the temple weekly, I made women's choir as a soprano, I get to take lessons from the same women who helped me last semester, and I am in a very good ward. I'll always have a soft spot for my first student ward bishop, but this one is just as considerate and loving. He is convinced he has the best ward in the entire church and loves to serve as if that were the absolute truth! We have a very active ward with activities and friendly people. Lots of hugs to go around (apparently, just like the energizer bunny feeds off of batteries, the ward feeds off of a lot of embraces)! In my ward I have been called as the 2nd councilor to my Relief Society. This has been another thing to strengthen my testimony that all things happen for a reason. We are Never Alone in our decisions! The Relief Society President felt inspired to call me, and as we have sat in meetings together I've felt the decisions we are making are for a reason. I really have felt the Spirit's peace in my heart (Galations 5:22) concerning what we have done. Our Presidency functions with wisdom beyond our own. Our traits are complimentary to each other and we have the same desires (Moses 7:18-19). It is absolutely beautiful!
I am taking a D&C class this semester. We're reading basically cover to cover and as we go, finding insights. Well there was one that I had I could have written a paper on. It started very small, but then expanded: Coming from a big city where most people don't understand your beliefs or share your standards. I have found that I will apologize every once in a while. For example, if I was hanging out with someone wanted to watch a particular movie I didn't agree with, I would say something like, "Sorry, but I don't watch those kinds of movies." In my mind I wasn't apologizing for my standards, but rather for the inconvenience I was causing them. I felt because of me we would have to make adjustments and sometimes that took effort the other person(s) didn't want to take. Also, I was apologizing for any hint of self-righteousness on my part. We live in a world where people feel the Mormons attack their beliefs and their standards, and I didn't want anyone to feel I didn't respect them as a person. As I was reading an assignment, I cam across D&C 1:38. It reads, "What I the Lord have spoken I have spoken, and I excuse not myself..." And it just kind of hit me. I should not apologize for my standards and for not shying away from them. The Lord has spoken and excuses not himself. I follow the Lord and should not apologize for His word. It may be "courteous" or "cordial" to insert a kind word (sorry or pardon) but it is our differences that set us apart as a church. I had to ask myself, "Whose side am I on?" For we cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). One might argue, "Then you must not love me. You cannot accept me as I am." To them I would quote James 2:8-9 : "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." We cannot, we must not put man above God. He has commanded us to be a "standard for the nations" (D&C 115:5) and we must obey. But we must also remember that standards we hold dear without love will not help us in bringing souls to Christ (D&C 18:16). We also must have love for them. One of the most effective ways to love someone is to pray for them. Prayer itself is very powerful. We pray to "come off conquerer" (D&C10:5), "lest we enter into temptation" (Mark 14:38; se also D&C 46:7) "that our souls may be joyful" (D&C 136:29), and to give thanks (D&C 59:7) among many other things. But I must add that we can pray to love. We can pray for them who despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44), pray for those the missionaries teach as well as the missionaries. Pray for our families and those they com in contact with. Pray for the Prophet and the apostles. We, like Steven (Acts 7:60) and our Ultimate Exemplar (Luke 23:34) can pray that those who wronged us will be forgiven for "I the Lord will forgive whom I will forgive" (D&C 64:10). If we truly love our brothers and sisters we may become the children of our Father (Matthew 5:45) and will be sealed to Christ (Mosiah 5:15). What a beautiful promise!
Anyway, this is my hope. I hope I can reach this ultimate goal with all my family and loved ones. I hope we can touch others with love, but firmly sharing the gospel's precious truths. So many have died for it. Why can't I sacrifice my own pride or image for just a brief moment for it? I know as we will do this we will be blessed and we will be able to make a difference.
